tlie excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord." And what were his habits ? "To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Forgetting the things which are behind, and reaching forth imto those that are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calHng of God in Christ Jesus." Compare this with the great mass of Christians around us, and say what resemblance there is between them. Verily, if we will serve God aright, we must be followers of the Apostle, even as he was of Christ. As for the world's judgment, whe- ther they will approve it, or not, we are not to regard it. We must approve ourselves to God ; and both put our trust in him and serve him, as those who know they shall be judged by him in the last day. If we follow the footsteps of the flock, then shall we be numbered among the sheep of Christ, and dwell in his fold for ever and ever.]
Ps. ix. 17. The wiched shall he turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.
THE most eminent saints are represented in scrip- ture as weeping over an ungodly world. Nor would this exercise of compassion be so rare, if we duly considered how great occasion there is for it. The words before us are a plain and unequivocal decla- ration from God himself respecting the doom which awaits every impenitent sinner. May God impress our minds with a solemn awe, while we shew,
I. Who they are whom God esteems wicked —
If we consult the opinions of men, we shall find that they differ widely from each other in their ideas of moral guilt, and that they include more or less in their definition of wickedness according to their own peculiar habits of life ; every one being careful so to draw the line that he himself may not be compre- hended within it. But God does not consult our wishes, or accommodate his word to our partial re- gards; he denominates all them wicked, who "^ forget" him. Doubtless there are degrees of guilt : but all those are wicked in his sight who are.